Living the Mission - Building in Faith : capital campaign
THE MYTH OF SCARCITY
It's easy when times are tough to think inward: to concentrate on ourselves. And we often worry that we don't have enough of what we really need to be "comfortable" or "free." That, my friends is a myth ... the myth of scarcity. Look around, we are wealthy people, living lives of abundance.
Walter Brueggemann, an Old Testament Scholar, writes and talks about the myth of scarcity and the lyric of abundance. How God has given us so much. We can give so much more if we are willing to use more fully what God has given us.
So the lyric of abundance is about taking care of others, and the myth of scarcity is about taking care of us.
Let's take a look at the things we spend money on TODAY, that we didn't consider necessities 10 years ago.
The most significant change in our world in the last ten years was the internet, right? That caused our standard of living to escalate quickly, with all sorts of opportunities. But there were personal costs, too.
How much did that computer cost you? Do you have more than one in your home? Mine cost me $90 per month.
How about some other luxuries: Caribou coffee: Hazelnut Latte: $2.75. Twice a week, four weeks a month, about $20 a month = $240 a year. Cell phones: Didn't have these ten years ago ... most cost around $40 a month. I know one household in this congregation that has 5 in their house! Two phones cost $80 a month. total of $960 a year.
Internet service: We have cable modem, $50 a month, including multiple email accounts. That's $600 a year.
Let's not even consider the new features (like caller ID) on our telephone, or the fancy tools that are piling up in my workshop (that's off limits) or the shoes in the bottom of my wife's closet. Or the DVD rentals and car upgrades etc. etc.
If you take a close look at your "taking care of yourself' spending, it's probably in the $400 a month range easily.
As you consider your commitment, keep in mind these two things: If you think beyond your own neighborhood, your own city and state, your own country ...you think globally: If you have money in your pocket right now, you are richer than 75% of the people on the planet. If you have money in the bank, you are wealthier than 94% of the people on the planet.
Adapted from a Mission talk by Paul Batz at Diamond Lake Lutheran Church, Minneapolis, MN on October 31, 2001.
We are a blessed people and congregation. If what we are doing is of God, God has given us more than adequate capacity to do it.
An Abundance Worksheet
If I reflect on my good fortune, and strive to discover all of the additional lifestyle spending, over and above what I spent on my lifestyle ten years ago.
My monthly Starbucks I Caribou coffee / Soft Drinks $__________________________
My monthly internet service provider: $___________________________
My monthly household spending on Cell Phones: $_________________________
My monthly DVD rentals: $_______________________
My monthly spending on computer games I programs $____________________________
My monthly spending caller ID and other telephone upgrades: $_________________________
My monthly spending on sport activities $________________________________
My monthly spending on $___________________________________
My monthly tips given for services: $__________________________
I will, with the help of God, live my life by the Lyric of Abundance, and pour out my gifts and financial contributions to advance God's work for the good of others